Uncomfortable in the price of hilsa even in the full season

There is no end to the hilsa fish of low-income people. However, the Fisheries Advisor of the Interim Government has said that the initiative will be taken to reduce the price of that fish. Meanwhile, fishermen say that there was a ban on fishing in the sea for a total of 65 days until June 23. After the ban, hilsa hunting is not getting the desired amount of fish.

Abdul Awal, a fish trader in Karwan Bazar, said that the price of hilsa has not decreased much; Supply has not increased much. Fish is perishable. If Hilsa is caught more, and not exported outside the country, then the price will decrease. One kilogram of fish will cost around 1,000. But not less than that.

Narrating the recent experience of hilsa hunting, Samrat Bepari of Chandpur said that there was no profit in fishing these few days. The price of diesel is so high that we are disappointed not to get fish in that ratio. The population of the country is increasing, but the number of fish in the river has decreased. Commodity prices are increasing, labor costs are also increasing. The cost of hiring workers earlier is now double.

Fisheries Adviser Farida Akhtar expressed her thoughts on hilsa while talking to reporters at the secretariat on August 11. He said that the needs of the people of the country will be met and then hilsa will be exported. At the same time, the initiative will be taken so that the people of the country can get hilsa fish and reduce the price. The people of the country will not get hilsa, and it cannot be exported.

Before the fall of the government, I had to pay 1,000 to 1,500 taka per kg of hilsa in different markets of the capital. After the departure of the government, the price increased from two hundred to two and a half taka per kg.

After hearing the price of 1 kg of hilsa in the caravan market on Sunday, the buyer Hannan did not have the courage to haggle. Forced, asked to know the price of half a kilogram of hilsa. Dasha Hannan's eyes widened after hearing the price of 1200 taka per kg of hilsa of this size. He said, I saw on Facebook that the price is low, but it is still high in the market.

He said to the seller Dulal Chandras, if the price is so high, there is no way to buy and eat. Even if the export stopped, there was no profit. Asking prices out of reach. Then Dulal was heard to say that we had to buy more. We cannot sell you at a loss.

Hannan told the media from his own experience and idea that now the hilsa season is on, the price should drop. But there is sure to be a large syndicate of traders – who are not in favor of lowering prices. That is why the price is not decreasing. Other fish are also caught from the river, but their prices are lower; Only the price of hilsa is high.

According to Dulal Chandra, who has been trading hilsa in Karwan Bazar for ten years, the demand for hilsa is more than any other fish. Therefore, even if there is more hilsa in the market, the price will remain high due to high demand. And people will buy at higher prices.

According to the official marketing agency Trading Corporation of Bangladesh on Friday, the lowest price of hilsa in the country's market is Tk 800. A month ago this price was Rs 700 and a year ago at this time the lowest price was Rs 650.

Abdul Bari, President of Chandpur Fishery Traders Cooperative Society, said that the pollution in the river is increasing, the places through which fish enter from the Bay of Bengal, Bhola and Hatia have formed a large number of sinkholes. That's why fish cannot enter easily. In addition, due to the low amount of rain, if the salinity of the water is not reduced, the hilsa fish does not come. Then Jatka and Ma Hilsa were killed indiscriminately. Due to these various reasons, the amount of fish is decreasing.

However, Hasan Farooq, a teacher of Fisheries Department of Dhaka University, thinks that some of his claims are based on assumptions. He told the media that the amount of hilsa is not decreasing, but increasing. But the growth rate may have slowed down. Fishermen are conjectural. It will be seen that they got less in one month and more in another month.

Mollah Emdadullah, director of the Hilsa Resources Development and Management Project, blamed the high price of diesel as the main reason behind the price of Hilsa not falling. He said, the high price of diesel is the only reason why the price of hilsa does not decrease.

In the same tone, fisheries researcher Hasan Farooq said that fuel consumption has increased a lot. If a big boat goes to the sea and stays for 15 to 20 days – then its cost can be more than 5 to 6 lakhs. And earlier this cost was half as much. That is why the price of fish is high.

Bangladesh /RH